The Time to Remember
by Amadoni
Summary: There once was a girl who died, who lived, who died, who lived, and who finally died forever. But that is not the whole story…


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Inuyasha and Co., nor do I make any profit from this fanfiction.

**The Time to Remember**

_If you saw me older,  
Would you laugh at my age.  
If you saw me younger,  
Would you keep me this way.  
If you saw me now,  
Would you leave me or stay.  
I'm not sure what you see;  
I'm not sure what you want.  
All I ask is that you,  
And only you, remember…_

There once was a girl who died, who lived, who died, who lived, and who finally died forever. But that is not the whole story…

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Lord Sesshoumaru, you have returned," Rin exclaimed with as much joy as the sun could hold. With bare, little feet, she dashed towards the one who held the world in his hand. No matter how many times her Lord left and returned, she always carried the same awe for him as the first day they met, both before and after she died.

Some would call it strange. Yet for her, when she first opened her eyes to the rebirth of her life, all she could see were the golden eyes of unending power, dreams, and might. She never experienced such awe before, but she would always experience after.

Finally reaching the statuesque figure who stood beneath the sakura tree, Rin grabbed his leg and tried to convey all she felt about him. Of course, she immediately released him as she knew that her Lord was not the most affectionate type.

For a few brief moments they simply stared at one another. The petals of the sakura blossom began to fall all around them. One could not help but feel captured by the small petals. When some pink hues rested upon the small girl, Rin broke the silence.

"My Lord, why must flowers fall?"

oOo

The tiny withered woman laid on her last futon. She wasn't afraid. In all her short life, she was only afraid a hand-full of times. Why fear when you walked so many journeys with the guardian of life and death. Even now, he had returned as she always knew that he would.

Her room was quaint to be sure. Several bouquets of dried, old flowers adorned tables, windows, and floors. Over the years, the floral scents covered the air with memories gone by. The most dominant were pink sakura.

oOo

"It's raining my Lord!! Isn't it wonderful," Rin gleefully proclaimed. They continued on the small worn path towards shelter. He couldn't have the girl catching an illness after all.

While he carried himself with refined poise, she continued to skip ahead, leaping over rocks, keeping clear of the slippery mud. However, to prevent a would-be nasty fall, Rin grabbed her Lord's waist. She was startled, of course, but she maintained her composure as she backed away.

Some of the mud had caught onto her ankles and legs. The rain kept falling. She took a deep breath, and they continued. The rain fell heavier now. But Rin noticed the earth no longer held her legs. She smiled and turned to him.

"Doesn't the rain make everything new again?"

He didn't want to respond.

oOo

"Please, my Lord, leave the window open. I've always enjoyed the fresh air," the frail woman chirped.

"Rin, the rain will make you ill," he closed his eyes briefly, cursing old habits, wishing he had never spoken the words.

Both eyed the other. She couldn't help but laugh.

oOo

The deep green meadow filled the young woman with contentment. She was always thankful when her Lord found her an oasis in which she could relax and enjoy the world around her.

This place was one of the many stops on their journey. It constantly changed, depending on the season. When the sun reached its peak, Rin decided to rest under a tall willow tree. Lord Sesshoumaru had already taken his place against the tree's strong trunk.

As Rin stared at the limbs of the tree, she couldn't help but realize that she had never seen a willow tree bloom.

"Maybe that is why the willow tree weeps," she whispered.

oOo

"I brought you something," stated the demon lord.

"Really," the aged Rin murmured.

The great lord pulled a small sprig of white blossoms from his kimono. Despite being close to his body, it didn't wilt but remained the same.

Slowly, Rin took it from his soft, porcelain hand and, after taking its scent, held it to herself.

"I've never seen this kind, my Lord," she sighed.

"It grew from a willow tree," he ruefully stated.

She couldn't help but raise a slender, white eyebrow at him.

oOo

The Lord of the West had to get the delicate mortal away from the storm. He knew that the shiro was not far from here. As they made their way through the mountain pass, he spotted a cave to rest out the storm.

He carried her inside and tenderly laid her down. After starting the fire, he guarded the entrance.

"We will be there by daybreak," he spoke to her.

"Yes, my Lord," the elderly woman replied.

Hoping it would last longer, she continued poking at the small fire. However futile, it eventually died down to red, glowing cinders. Deep within the mountain cave, silence held the two together. But Rin eventually spoke through it.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"For what?"

Rin couldn't help but give him her biggest smile, wrinkles and all.

"What are you smiling about, now?"

Her laughter echoed through the cave. He dismissed it and continued staring outside towards the mountains.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, when we get to the shiro, could this humble old woman make a request?"

He brought his gaze to the small form. He wasn't certain how he could respond to that but settled for nodding. Rin knew that he heard her words and accepted the silence.

oOo

It was time. He heard the change in her breathing and heart, even the scent of the room took on a more pronounced air of decay. He ignored it and chose to kneel by her side, her weak hand in his strong one.

"You wished to make a request, Rin. What is it," he said intently, not once leave his unending golden gaze from her earthy cinder ones.

The illusion of time standing still crept between them. But as soon as it came, it just as quickly passed away. Rin looked at Sesshoumaru one last time and whispered,

"All I ask it that my Lord…and only my Lord…remember," as the older mortal gave these words to the forever immortal, the beating within slowed, quieted, and ceased.

It is the natural order of things. Without this order, chaos lives supreme. A time to live, a time to die, a time for remembrance—everything has a time, except him. Such is the way of the immortal, the overseer of time.

With reverent care and gentle grace, he released her frail, wrinkled hand from his own and placed it over the other. For a creature who once wished to conquer all the world, he was conquered by one, one small mortal child. And that was worth more than all he could have possessed.

The Lord of the West stood up and walked away from the memory of that day. As he left the confines of the shiro to continue his unending journey homeward, he passed some graves stones and stopped on the small dirt path. A deep baritone laughter could be heard on this road. However, as soon as it began it ended, ended but remembered.

A gentle gust gathered around the feared demon lord and enveloped him. The scents brought sakura blossoms and fresh rain, weeping willows and mountain ways. Understanding the truth, he responded…

"As you wish."


End file.
